Will To Win: Pacquiao vs. Barrera 2

It's approximately a couple of days from October 06, 2007 and the whole world will watch as two warriors fight it out in a rematch as The Philippines' very own Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao takes on Mexico's Babyfaced Asssassin Marco Antonio Barrera in a 12-round battle for the WBC International Super Featherweight Championship!

The titular rematch is one of the most requested by boxing fans for several years since Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao stunned Babyfaced Asssassin Marco Antonio Barrera in an 11th round TKO last November 15, 2003 held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, USA. Many considered the fight defined his career since he went on to fight against the very best boxers in the featherweight and super-featherweight division class.

After his spectacular win over Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has since fought several of the best Mexican fighters, earning a draw against Juan Manuel Marquez last May 08, 2004 held at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA for the WBA & IBF Featherweight titles; a 6th round TKO against Hector Velasquez last September 10, 2005 held at Los Angeles, USA for the WBA & IBF Featherweight titles and their epic trilogy against Erik Morales which he initially lost a unanimous decision in their first fight last March 19, 2005 and won a 3rd round TKO; 10 round TKO in the succeeding two fights to cement his place as one of the best pound for pound boxers in the history.

Meanwhile, Marco Antonio Barrera has had his share of ups & downs since his shocking defeat at the hands of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, he won the rubber match of their epic trilogy against Erik Morales via a majority decision with scores of 115-113, 115-114, and 114-114. His previous match was against fellow Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, wherein he lost his WBC Super Featherweight title last March 17, 2007 held at Las Vegas, USA.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Name: Emmanuel Dapigran Pacquiao
Nickname: Pacman
Age: 28
Nationality: Filipino
Stance: Southpaw
Total Fights: 49
Wins: 44
KO: 35
Losses: 3
Draws: 2
No Contests: 0


Name: Marco Antonio Barrera
Nickname: Baby-Faced Assassin
Age: 33
Nationality: Mexican
Stance: Orthodox
Total Fights: 69
Wins: 63
KO: 42
Losses: 5
Draws: 0
No Contests: 1


This title-fight rematch has the makings of "Fight Of The Year" since many boxing aficionados are eagerly anticipating a classic fight between the two boxers. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao wants to prove the initial encounter was no fluke and tries to make his case as one of the greatest pound for pound boxers in history. Meanwhile, Marco Antonio "Baby-Faced Assassin" Barrera wants redemption from his shocking loss and wants to prove his doubters that he can slug it out with the best of them even at the latter part of his stellar career.

Petals Around The Rose

Anybody heard or even played this game? Petals Around The Rose is a lateral thinking mind game traditionally played with five dice. It is played by a computer program or with physical dice that are rolled by a Potentate Of The Rose - a person who knows the secret of the game.
For each roll of all dice, there is a single numerical solution. The players then attempt to arrive at this solution. If they do not, the Potentate of the Rose will tell it to them, and it is their task to figure out the solution for the next roll.

There are ONLY 3 rules, they are:

1. The name of the game is "Petals Around The Rose", and the name is significant.
2. The answer is always zero or an even number.
3. Anyone who knows the game may give the answer to any roll, but they must not disclose the reasoning.

Now, I tried playing the game through an e-mail that was forwarded by one of my colleagues and initially I can't seem to comprehend how & why they came up with the answers.

Figure 1

As shown in Figure 1, there are 5 dice that are rolled which has values of 4, 1, 6, 3, 6 respectively and the answer to this roll is 2.

Here's a series of rolls and answers to give you an example how mind boggling this game is!

Figure 2

Figure 2 answer is 8.

Figure 3

Figure 3 answer is 14.

Figure 4

Figure 4 answer is 0.

Figure 5

Figure 5 answer is 4.

Figure 6

Figure 6 answer is 4.

Now, you might be wondering why Figure 5 & 6 have the same answer and the ONLY difference is the first dice of every set. After doing extensive, thorough trial & error attempts of the given figures, I finally found the solution! Whew, it took me the whole shift (though it's understandable since I'm multi-tasking) while deciphering this game!

As what the third rule of this game says "anyone who knows the game may give the answer to any roll, but they must not disclose the reasoning", so as what the old saying goes, it's for you to find out and for me to know. Good luck and enjoy playing the game!

How To Handle Irritating Seatmates On An Airplane 101

Most of us have traveled far and beyond, either locally or internationally, which the latter I'm pursuing one of these days. Many of us have traveled short distance flights, maybe an hour or a couple of hours, but what about those long flights - transcontinental flights, wherein you have to prepare yourself for the long ride err flight. I may not be in the position to give a feedback of my own personal experience since I'm only able to experience short distance flights but I have heard different feedback from several people regarding their experiences of these kind of flights.

There are some wonderful stories of couples whose romances began with a bit of seatmate small talk. It's a treat when a long flight seems to fly by while you have been having a pleasant conversation with an intriguing seatmate, however, it can be excruciating when you want peace and quiet and your seatmate is intent on telling you his or her life story.

How To Handle A Talkative Seatmate

Have you encountered a too-talkative seatmate? Whose eager to talk all throughout the flight, whose insensitive enough not to know when to stop or why there's a need to stop. Well, here are some tips that I have gathered from well-mannered travelers.

If your seatmate asks you this phrase "what do you do?" then you can safely answer these replies.

• I'm a mortician - If your seatmate is a big fan of WWE, then the person has an idea what you are talking about.
  
• I'm a proctologist - I don't know if your seatmate is educated, but if the person is, then probably the conversation stops from the moment you utter this word.
• I'm a terrorist - this may not be the safest response after the 911 attack but this would be a temporary pause to your seatmate's yakking and you may need to prepare yourself of a lengthy explanation to the aircraft's officials.

How Do You Handle A Stinky Seatmate

Have you encountered a stinky seatmate that you want to puke at the onset you sat on your pre-designated seat? Most airlines actually have a clause in their "Conditions of Carriage" policies that gives them the right to deny boarding a super-stinky passenger.

I tried researching through Google and found out several lists of similar Airlines Conditions of Carriage.

The airline may refuse to transport you, or may remove you from your flight at any point, for one or several reasons, including but not limited to the following:

1. Compliance with government requisition of space.
2. Action necessary or advisable due to weather, or other conditions beyond American's control.
3. Refusal to permit a search of person or property for explosives or for deadly, controlled, or dangerous weapons, articles or substances.
4. Refusal to produce positive identification upon request.
5. Your physical or mental condition is such that in American's sole opinion, you are rendered or likely to be rendered incapable of comprehending or complying with safety instructions without the assistance of an attendant.
6. Your conduct is disorderly, abusive or violent, or you
   
   • Appear to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs,
   • Attempt to interfere with any member of the flight crew,
   • Have a communicable disease that has been determined by a federal public health authority to be transmissible to other persons in the normal course of flight,
   • Refuse to obey instructions from any flight crew member,
   • Have an offensive odor not caused by a disability or illness,
   • Are clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offense to other passengers,
   • are barefoot, or
   • Engage in any action, voluntary or involuntary, that might jeopardize the safety of the aircraft or any of its occupants.

You may check several US Airlines Conditions of Carriage.

• American Airlines
• Continental Airlines
  
• Delta Airlines
• SouthWest Airlines
  
• United Airlines

After hearing several feedback from passengers who encountered unpleasant experiences during their respective flights, I have come up with my own idea on how to prevent, control or stop annoying seatmates. This is ONLY effective if you have a portable during the flight.

• Quietly and calmly open your portable case.
  
• Remove your portable.
• Start up.
• Make sure the guy who is annoying you, can see the screen.
• Close your eyes, tilt your head up to the sky and move your lips like you are praying.
• Then hit this link.
  

Funniest Tech Support Video

I got bored over the weekend, so to please my sanity and compensate my boredom I tried researching any funny videos in the internet and fortunately I found this - the funniest tech support video. This video was actually aired in a late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, it was about his writer Andy Blitz who encountered issues on his computer.

Andy Blitz initially contacted his computer's technical support asking assistance regarding multiple pop-up windows that have surfaced on the computer. He got connected to a technical support representative named Sharon, who was currently located in India during the time of his call.

Please watch the next scenes on what transpired during Andy Blitz journey of locating Sharon to resolve his issues on the computer. Enjoy!

Here's another clip that I found out after doing an extensive research through Google & YouTube, this is an animated version of a technical support similar to what Andy Blitz experienced, however, it has some vulgarity in its content.

Funniest Indian Tech Support Video

Disclaimer

If you find these videos discriminating, please feel free to e-mail me at @ borgy1981@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading!

NOTPRON

Anybody heard of this game? Well, for those who are unfamiliar of this game, this is actually considered as one of the hardest riddle to decipher that is available in the internet. It was created by David Münnich from Saarbrücken, Germany.

I tried playing this game and reached until level 24 and wasn't able to finish the whole game due to time constraints - this is indeed a time demanding riddle which requires complete mental concentration and physical endurance since you will probably be stuck in your chair sitting the whole time trying to decipher every level of the game.

This game actually tests your common sense and at the same time requires your to think out of the box since you can't rely from Google, Wikipedia or any forum in the internet that has a walk through of every level they have deciphered. The first ten levels are quite easy since it ONLY requires your common sense - either your not paying enough attention; not concentrating or stupid not to know how to decipher it. The next levels from 11-24 (where I stopped due to time constraints) are quite tricky and it requires your attention of every detail (images, messages) that is presented to you.

Here are several images of the first 10 levels:

As what I have said earlier, this requires your common sense, you already know what to do since it has a message "ENTER THE DOOR!". What are you waiting for?

Congratulations, I thought you were the latter when I said earlier that the first 10 levels ONLY requires your common sense. Now, this level is quite interesting since the hand is pointing upward, it's either telling you look on the address field or browser title.


Well, well, well you made it! Now the image on this level is quite vague, it's a collection of several bricks with different sizes or similar to the Stonehenge of Wiltshire, England. However, if you will wait for a while, there's a prompt "STOP BEING SO NEGATIVED" which is the key in moving to the next level.


Wow! I'm impressed with your initiative! If you have noticed above in the browser title (not seen in this image though), it actually say "LOOK IN THE DARK", so which means it has something to do with the light, look underneath the lamp and you can see there's a morse code and you have to decipher it. Now, it's ONLY the first part, you still have to apply (enter) it to a password prompt. Remember, the message - it has something to do with the light, there's actually a clock and if you will press it, it will prompt you to enter a username and password.

Thinking out of the box can really get you to the next level in this game. There's a CD of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy beside the remote control on the table. Beneath the picture lies a sentence, “EYES LIKE AN ANGEL SMILES LIKE A DEVIL WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THIS SONG AGAIN?". Well, if you know how to search through Google, you would know what the answer is and the key to move on to the next level.

Well, I won't be going through the next 6-10 level since I intended this blog to introduce the NOTPRON Riddle instead of a complete walk through of the game. I'm currently playing at level 24 and I have heard that there are 127 levels (1-82; 0; -1 to -44).

If you are interested to play the game, you can visit this website. This are all for now, I will keep you posted on what level I have deciphered in this game. Ciao!

Bantayan Island

I just woke up from a short nap, it's currently 12AM MNL time as of this writing and I can't stop thinking of the upcoming week to come. Our team will be having our much awaited out-of-town or what we call within the company, general assembly (GA) in Bantayan Island. I first visited this beautiful place last March 2005 with my previous team, I was at awe when I initially step foot in this serene, yet exotic place wherein you can unwind, relax and most of all forget the stress of city life while you enjoy your stay.

This is Marlin Beach Resort where we stayed for a day & night (quite too short for comfort to enjoy what this place can offer you), it has concrete air-conditioned rooms, excellent water supply, restaurant and water facilities that can take you to places within the island. I had an excellent time the following day since I got a glimpse how the island would look like early in the morning, here are some of the pictures I took.

I was already enjoying my stay - taking pictures, swimming in the beach, walking along the clear white sands, when one of my teammates suggested we go island hopping. I was curious upon hearing the name "Virgin Island" would be our destination. If I'm not mistaken the word "Virgin" can be described as "pure, uninhibited" place; they said it has a better view, clearer white sands and excellent dive/snorkeling spots. I was initially skeptic and the same time excited since this will be my very first time snorkeling in deep waters. When we arrived at the island, excitement ran through my veins upon seeing the beauty of the place; what they say is indeed explicitly true.

As you can see in the pictures above while we were in Virgin Island (Silion Island), it offers its guests twice the pleasure Bantayan Island can give you! I and my teammates surely enjoyed our stay in this place, oops did I say I enjoyed? I already have been coming back to this place 4x since March 2005 and counting, need I say more?

Mozilla Firefox Web Browser Installation 101

There are so many security concerns in the internet today, that choosing the best & secure web browser is the main priority amongst computer end-users. During the early stages of the internet, Microsoft Internet Explorer was winning the adulation of its end-users from its main rivals Netscape & Opera because it has a user friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI). At the onset of the new millennium, several malicious software have surfaced and caused website redirection, hard disk drive data loss, personal information exploitation through data transmittal without consent of the end-user and security threats on the computer.

Of all the malicious software, adware/malware/spyware threats have caused substantial discomfort amongst end-users since it tends not to install software if they know that it will disrupt their working environment and compromise their privacy, spyware deceives users, either by piggybacking in a piece of desirable software, tricking them into installing it and masquerading as security software, while being spyware themselves.

Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser and its rivals faced a daunting task in combating and protecting its end-users against these threats but failed inevitably; this led to the creation of Mozilla Firefox web browser from Mozilla Corporation and a large community of external contributors.

Mozilla Firefox is a cross-platform, graphical web browser providing support for various versions of Linux, Macintosh OS X and Microsoft Windows. Mozilla Firefox uses SSL/TLS to protect communications with web servers using strong cryptography when using the HTTPS protocol. It uses a sandbox security model and the developers use a "bug bounty" scheme, for finding fixes for some security and feature additions. The current stable release of Mozilla Firefox web browser is version 2.0.0.6, released on July 30, 2007.

How to download (Microsoft Windows Operating Systems Only):

1. Click START then locate All Programs, select Internet Explorer and go to http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ website.
2. If Internet Explorer cannot access any website for any reason, reboot your computer, press F8 during the bootstrap process to access Windows Advanced Startup Options, select SafeMode w/ Networking; then follow the directions in Step1.
   
3. If everything fails both in the Normal and Safe Mode operation, you can still download Mozilla Firefox v1.8.0.2004052009 through FTP.

• Click START then locate RUN, type CMD or COMMAND in the window. A smaller window prompts, which is the MS-DOS screen.
• In the MS-DOS screen, type "cd.." twice to change the directory to c:\
• In the c:\ prompt, type "ftp 204.152.184.113" and press ENTER.
• You will be prompted
  
• Connected to 204.152.184.113.
  
• 220 Welcome to mozilla.isc.org.
• User <204.152.184.113:>: You are prompted for a username, type anonymous then press ENTER.
• 331 Please specify the password. Password: You are prompted for a password, type your email address (noemail@noemail.com) and press ENTER. (Please be advised that it will not display the characters of your e-mail address; please be careful since this is case sensitive)
• 230 Login Successful.
  
• ftp> type "cd pub/mozilla.org/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.8a1" and press ENTER.
  
• 250 Directory successfully changed.
• ftp> type "binary" and press ENTER.
• 200 Switching to Binary Mode.
• ftp> type "lcd c:\" and press ENTER.
• Local directory now C:\
• ftp> type "get mozilla-win32-1.8a1-installer.exe" and press ENTER.
• 200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV.
• 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for mozilla-win32-1.8a1-installer.exe <12404944>. During this process it is currently downloading the Mozilla Firefox web browser from the FTP Server, please wait a couple of minutes (depending on the internet connection speed or throughput; for dialup end-users this may take approximately 10-30 mins while for dsl/cable (broadband) end-user this may take approximately 5-10 mins to download on your computer).
• Click START then locate My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista), select Local Disk (C:) and locate mozilla-win32-1.8a1-installer.exe file.

I truly hope this post would serve its purpose. Enjoy!

Feel free to send me an e-mail at borgy1981@hotmail.com for any concern related to this post.

Greg Oden Update

I recently visited NBA.com and found out that NBA 2007 #1 draft pick Greg Oden of the Portland TrailBlazers recently had an arthroscopic & microfracture surgery in his right knee. Team doctors had an exploratory arthroscopic surgery and revealed cartilage damage on his right knee. This recent development is a another setback, since he just had a tonsillectomy to have his tonsils removed last July 14 which caused him to miss the USA Senior National Team's mini-cap in Las Vegas in preparation for the FIBA Americas.

Many basketball experts and its fans have compared him to the great Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics since they have similar attributes especially in their defensive approach of the game. Many of us are wondering if this is a case of déjà vu since they had a similar situation when they drafted Sam Bowie during the NBA 1984 draft that included the likes of Akeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley & John Stockton.

Now, many of us might be wondering what is microfracture surgery and how it affects an athlete. Microfracture surgery is an orthopedic surgical technique that can help restore knee cartilage by creating tiny fractures in the adjacent bones, causing new cartilage to develop. It can be used to treat both degenerative knee problems as well as cartilage injuries, and has gained a high profile in the sports world in recent years.

There are several cases of NBA players who had this type of injury like John Stockton, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Chris Webber, Kenyon Martin, Darius Miles & Amare Stoudemire; only John Stockton, Jason Kidd & Amare Stoudemire have regained full health and recovered successfully to their old form. This is a major setback for a franchise which is looking for a new identity and respect in the NBA community since they never had a winning season since the 2002-2003 season.

I personally think they should have taken Kevin Durant for several reasons - he has the potential to blossom into one of the best offensive players in the league. Also, they have several young big men (LaMarcus Aldrige, Channing Frye & Joel Przybilla) to build around; most importantly Kevin Durant is far superior offensively and could still develop his defensive skill set as he matures in the league.

Well, as a basketball fan, I hope the best for Greg Oden and the Portland TrailBlazers. Let us wait and see what the future holds.

LightScribe

I recently purchased an optical drive w/ lightscribe as one of its features. I was wondering what this new technology for optical drives does on your system. I thoroughly researched the internet and determined that it allows users to create direct-to-disc labels (as opposed to stick-on labels), using their optical disc writer.

LightScribe was conceived by HP Engineer Daryl Anderson in Corvallis, Oregon, and brought to market through the joint design efforts of HP's imaging and optical storage divisions.

Initially LightScribe was monochromatic, a grey etch on a gold looking surface. From late 2006, LightScribe discs are also available in colors for categorization. The "burning" is still monochromatic, but the backgrounds can now be produced in various colors, under the v1.2 specification. Currently it's not possible to rewrite a LightScribe label but it's possible to add more content to a label that is already burned.

Here's an example of a lightscribed disc

I will keep you posted of my own creation of lightscribed discs! Enjoy!

White Man Can Jump!

I have been searching the internet lately for the best basketball dunks outside of the NBA and I came across this particular basketball player who got my attention not because of his dunks but because of his color, pardon me if I may sound a racist here. As we all know in the basketball world, white men can't jump, except for a few of them of course - Tom Chambers & Brent Barry (NBA 1996 Slam Dunk Champion).

Now, you might be wondering who is this guy I am talking about not named Julius Erving (Dr.J), Michael Jordan (Air Jordan), Dominique Wilkins (Human Highlight Film), Spudd Webb / Nate Robinson (Smallest NBA Slam Dunk Champions), Kobe Bryant or Vince Carter (Vinsanity; Half Human / Half Amazing).


Well, without further adieu, he is Henry Bekkering, a 6'7" 245lbs specimen from Taber, Alberta, Canada who is currently playing for the Eastern Washington Eagles in the NCAA Division 1.

Here's a sample clip @ a HS Slam Dunk Contest. Enjoy!

Ubuntu

Have you heard regarding this operating system or platform that is making rave reviews from basic computer end-users or tech junkies? Well, let me introduce this hot commodity, Ubuntu Operating System; Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

What does Ubuntu mean?

Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'Humanity to others', or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. The Ubuntu distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world.

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.

Ubuntu is designed with security in mind. You get free security updates for at least 18 months on the desktop and server. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get three years support on the desktop, and five years on the server. There is no extra fee for the LTS version, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms. Upgrades to new versions of Ubuntu are and always will be free of charge. Everything you need on one CD, which provides a complete working environment. Additional software is available online.

The graphical installer enables you to get up and running quickly and easily. A standard installation should take less than 25 minutes.

I just received my very own copy of Ubuntu CD's today and I am so excited to try this out over the weekend. My colleagues told me that you can use it's full functionality either through booting to the cd or installing it on the system. Well, I better try it out first by booting the cd since this will be my very first time using a Linux based operating system. I will be updating you as soon as I have fully worked on this one.

How to get it?

Download

Buy Ubuntu on CD

Request FREE CD's

Apple iPhone

The Apple iPhone is a multimedia and Internet-enabled quad-band GSM EDGE - supported mobile phone designed and sold by Apple Inc. The iPhone's functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player ("iPod"), in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. User input is accomplished via a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons.

Features

Touch Screen

• The 3.5 in liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 160 ppi) HVGA touch screen topped with optical-quality, scratch-resistant glass is specifically created for use with a finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. Because the screen is a capacitive touch screen, no stylus is needed, nor can one be used.
  

Camera

• The iPhone features a built in 2.0 megapixel camera located on the back for still digital photos, but not video recording. It also includes software that allows the user to upload, view, and e-mail photos. The user zooms in and out of photos by "unpinching" and "pinching" them through the multi-touch interface.

Connectivity

• The iPhone has built-in Wi-Fi, with which it is able to access the World Wide Web (through a wireless network) via a modified version of the Safari web browser.

Technical Specifications

Size and Weight

• Height: 4.5 inches (115 mm)
• Width: 2.4 inches (61 mm)
• Depth: 0.46 inch (11.6 mm)
• Weight: 4.8 ounces (135 grams)

Capacity

• 8GB flash drive

Display

• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch display
• 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 160 dpi
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Operating System

• OS X

GSM

• Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Wireless Data

• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
• EDGE
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Camera

• 2.0 megapixels

Audio

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video

• Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats